Bulawayo Bureau
THE Government is putting in place a number of interventions to ensure food security across the country, amid indications that the crop situation is ranging from fair to dire, as the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon kick in.
Among the cocktail of measures aimed to climate-proof the agriculture sector and ensure the country is food-secure, all Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution are meeting monthly to come up with strategies and share notes on how they can mitigate against the possible impacts of drought in their provinces.
One such meeting was held on Friday at a leisure resort about 60 kilometres out of Beitbridge in Matabeleland South province, where Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka assured the nation that the food security situation was under control.
“We meet for our monthly interactive meeting with Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution and the topical issue is the current El Niño-induced drought. We get reports from across the country where the crop situation is indicated to be ranging from fair to dire,” he said.
“This season has clearly lived up to the very harsh El Niño phenomenon that was forecasted. We did say that the season will be delayed but it has also been indicated that the phenomenon will be short and sharp. The current weather models are not indicating rain until the end of the month and our crops by that stage would have been severely stressed.”
There was a need, he said, to eliminate household-induced food deficit, while farmers continue to be advised to grow crops according to their agro-ecological regions.
He also said Cabinet has directed that the Grain Marketing Board (GMB)’s Strategic Grain Reserve must be increased to 1,5 million tonnes to ensure food security.
“As of yesterday (Thursday), GMB only had 200 000 tonnes of grain, but because of the changed structure, deliberation and marketing arrangements, GMB is no longer the monopoly purchaser of grains. GMB now only purchases surpluses from Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme producers and also self-financed farmers. AFC and CBZ (banks) no longer go to GMB but direct to contractors and the private sector,” added Minister Masuka.
“We have a policy that 40 percent of the annual raw material requirement must be procured through contracting farmers. The private sector holds 526 000 tonnes that were marketed last year, while GMB has under 200 000 tonnes, a 39 percent share of marketed crops.”
Dr Masuka said the Government was also constructing dams across the country as it was working on increasing the area under summer irrigation for food security.
He said food security at national level was achieved through accelerated irrigation rehabilitation and development.
“That is why we are constructing 13 more dams to the 10 600 dams we have in the country. We are potentially able to irrigate two million hectares and currently, we have developed an additional irrigation area of 208 000 hectares, with 75 000 hectares for summer irrigation. We want to make sure that 350 000 hectares will be available for summer irrigation so that we produce 1,8 million tonnes, which is what this country requires annually for human consumption, which is why we want to do accelerated irrigation development.”
The Government, Minister Masuka said, had also introduced another strategy where it would assist rural households, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, through trainings to improve food security.
He said after undergoing trainings and planting three plots under Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme, those that wish to access social welfare would be assisted, with 71 000 tonnes to be distributed.
Those who had illegally settled themselves on State land were warned.
“In the context of the recent nationwide police blitz under the banner ‘No to land barons’, we had discussions with both Vice Presidents and there are further directions that they have given,” he said.
“There is now an inter-ministerial committee that has been constituted and I am chairing it. We will be meeting on Monday to receive a report from the Commissioner-General of Police on the operation, after which an announcement will be made.”
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